Conversion - (Key Words in Jewish Studies) by Miriam Bodian (Paperback)

About the Book

This short volume considers conversion in a Jewish context as broadly as possible, as an act of socioreligious boundary crossing. It charts how, across the long arc of Jewish history from biblical times to the present, patterns of boundary crossing have developed and shifted, whether of Gentiles entering Jewish life or of Jews exiting from it.

Book Synopsis

In Conversion, Miriam Bodian considers the now-universalized term "conversion" in a Jewish context as broadly as possible, as an act of socioreligious boundary crossing. It charts how, across the long arc of Jewish history from biblical times to the present, patterns of boundary crossing have developed and shifted, whether of Gentiles entering Jewish life or of Jews exiting from it. It analyzes the biblical passages that have informed Jewish thinking about what is required to become a Jew before turning to the early rabbis' institution of a ritualized process of conversion. It then considers the protean ways in which Gentiles have become Jews and Jews have joined other religious communities from medieval to modern times. A further section is devoted to the complexities of conversion in the contemporary Jewish world, where conversions are not necessarily recognized across denominations, where substantial intermarriage has eroded the traditional boundaries between Jew and Gentile, and where the modern state of Israel plays a role that reaches beyond its borders in determining who is a Jew.

Review Quotes

"Bodian's Conversion is an informative, probing, and nuanced discussion of a concept at the core of religious, and in particular, Jewish religious identity. In this lucid and concise guide to conversion and its dilemmas, ranging from antiquity to modern times and from individual identity to state policy, Bodian synthesizes a vast body of scholarship on an intriguing and complex subject in accessible terms."

--Elisheva Carlebach "author of Divided Souls: Converts from Judaism in Early Modern Germany, 1500-1750"

"Bodian offers a brilliant, synthetic account of conversions to and from Judaism from ancient to contemporary times, and across Christian and Islamic milieus. She skillfully analyzes convert experiences, ideas about conversion, and changing scholarly approaches to the topic. This book will be an invaluable tool for teaching and research."--Ellie R. Schainker "author of Confessions of the Shtetl: Converts from Judaism in Imperial Russia"

"Written with grace and clarity, Miriam Bodian's new book surveys the subject of conversion (in and out of Judaism) through the sweep of Jewish history. It navigates a complex terrain with authority, displaying an expansive and sure grasp of both critical details and larger contexts."--Todd Endelman "professor emeritus of history and Judaic studies, University of Michigan"

About the Author

MIRIAM BODIAN is professor of history emerita at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the author of Hebrews of the Portuguese Nation: Conversos and Community in Early Modern Amsterdam and Dying in the Law of Moses: Crypto-Jewish Martyrdom in the Iberian World.